Dev Explained
Plain-language explainers on developer tools and concepts, tied to the tools on this site.
Regex explained: a beginner's guide to regular expressions
What regex is, why it's useful, and how to write and test your first pattern.
JSON explained: a beginner's guide to JavaScript Object Notation
What JSON is, why it's everywhere, and how to format, validate, and convert it.
Base64 explained: a beginner's guide to encoding and decoding
What Base64 is, why it exists, and how to encode or decode it in Python and JavaScript.
JWT explained: a beginner's guide to JSON Web Tokens
What a JWT is, how JWT authentication works, and how to decode one yourself.
UUID and GUID explained: what they are and why they're random
Why unique IDs need to be random, and how to generate one instantly.
Frequently asked questions
What does Dev Explained cover?
Beginner guides to five everyday developer topics: regular expressions (regex), JSON, Base64, JSON Web Tokens (JWT) and UUIDs.
Do I need to know programming to follow these guides?
No. Each guide starts with what the thing is in plain words. Some also include short Python and JavaScript examples for readers who want to try it in code.
Is there a free tool to go with each guide?
Yes. Each guide links to a matching tool: the JSON formatter, regex tester, Base64 encoder/decoder, JWT decoder or UUID generator.